


Country Roads

by Anon581



Category: Sanditon (TV 2019), Sanditon - Jane Austen
Genre: Married Couple
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-17
Updated: 2020-08-21
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:00:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 16,351
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25953322
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anon581/pseuds/Anon581
Summary: Celebrate Thanksgiving with the newlywed Parkers!Second story in the #HamptonsFic series.  Park Slope Sid makes his way to that wild and wonderful mountainous countryside.#ThurkeyFic.
Comments: 264
Kudos: 179





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Heeeeey! I went to West Virginia a couple weeks ago and it was requested that I take the Parkers with me and sometimes I just like to be surprisingly obliging.
> 
> This is a bit different than where I've been in the past, it's Sidlotte but you're also pretty much joining me in a therapy session as I work through the inability to hang out with extended family in the time of Covid. Five chapters, we'll blow straight through them this week. Thanks for reading!

They stopped for gas about an hour and a half into the trip. As Sidney worked the pump Charlotte hopped out and walked around, sliding into the driver's side.

"Oh, are you driving?"

"I love long distance drives. Another thing to add to your file of Charlotte facts." She leaned out the door and smiled back at him Then she tilted her head. "Or are you just nervous about me driving your fancy BMW?"

He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, a guilty grin tickling the corner of his mouth.

She laughed. "What's yours is mine now, right hubby? Anyway, this little car might have trouble making it over the mountains if there's ice. May as well have someone behind the wheel that knows the roads."

"Are you assuming I can't drive mountain roads?" Sidney asked as he removed the gas nozzle and returned it to the pump. He walked over to the driver side door and, resting his arms on the roof of the car, leaned his face in so it was hovering over hers.

"I'm just saying, you grew up in the Upper East Side and then moved to LA. I'm not sure how much experience you have with snow and mountains." She smiled sweetly up at him.

He leaned in further and kissed her softly and then pulled back and cocked an eyebrow at her. "Don't think I didn't notice that you made me fight through all of the miserable traffic coming out of the city before taking over." Charlotte laughed and he walked around to the passenger side, taking his position as copilot. 

As they pulled back onto the highway he asked, "So you're really a road trip kinda girl?"

"Definitely, in fact I was thinking maybe we should do some kind of road trip this summer together. I mean, it'll probably be our last full summer in the Hamptons so we should make the most of that but we could maybe throw in a little trip, just the two of us. Maybe Maine again?" Charlotte would be graduating from her master's program in the spring. They planned on her job hunting from the Hamptons, only going back into the city as necessary for interviews. Once she was working full time, summers in the Hamptons would sadly turn into occasional weekends in the Hamptons, as working remotely was not really an option in the archival librarian world.

Sidney cleared his throat. "Well actually, I was thinking that since you probably won't have much vacation time in the first few years of your job, maybe we should do a big trip together this summer."

"A big trip? We're already going to Belize after Christmas for our honeymoon."

"Yeah, but that's only five days. I could take two weeks off this summer Charlotte. We could maybe do something literary to celebrate your degree, go to England, check out some Austen, Dickens, Shakespeare kinda stuff. Maybe throw in a few days in Paris or whatever, whatever you'd like. Or we could go somewhere exciting. You liked the idea of Esther and Babber’s honeymoon to South Africa. We could do something like that. What do you think?"

Charlotte glanced at him, beaming. "Are you serious? Um, that sounds incredible! I’d really love that." She reached over and squeezed his thigh. 

He picked up her hand and kissed it. "Good. We can start throwing darts at a map when we get home and figure it out.”

They were somewhere around Harrisburg, Pennsylvania when the family tree study session began. Sidney had picked up a lot of the basics when they were working out their little wedding party guest list. "So your mom has two sisters and a brother, Brenda, Jill and Ed and your dad has a brother and a sister, Paul and Karen?"

"Well done. Yes."

"And oh boy, tell me all the cousins' names again."

Charlotte laughed as she started listing them all. It was a lot. Most of her family still lived in the area and got together for Thanksgiving. On top of aunts and uncles and first cousins there was a complicated web of second and third cousins and people that she wasn't even sure if she was related to but they had been considered family for as long as she remembered. She didn't expect Sidney to remember it all and she didn't think anyone back home expected it either but it was incredibly endearing that he was trying to sort it all out.

"Okay but Aunt Jill lives in Georgia and Uncle Paul lives in Colorado so we won't be seeing either of those families, right?" 

Charlotte nodded and took a sip of her coffee. "And it's my maternal side of the family on Thanksgiving day so we won't see Aunt Karen and that side of the family until Friday or Saturday."

"Right, so fill me in on the Thanksgiving festivities. Who's who at the table and what are the taboo topics?"

Charlotte chuckled and launched into the list of regulars, the basic avoid list of politics, religion and gun control. They found themselves shifting back to her immediate family. All of her siblings would be there. Allison coming home from Pittsburgh, Matt back from West Virginia University, and of course the youngest two, Mike and Jacob, still living at home.

“And you know from phone calls that my dad is quiet and that can be unnerving but he’s really pretty straightforward. It’s my mom you have to work for. Tim always used to call her the poison gummy bear. She looks sweet and adorable. She'll stand there baking you cookies and all, but secretly she’s judging you all along.”

Huh? What now? “I thought your mom already loved me. She’s always so nice on the phone.” Sidney responded lightly but with a slight edge of panic in his voice.

“I’m sure she loves you or will love you anyway but just know that there’s more under the surface with her. Be on your guard.”

“Charlotte! What the hell? Where are you taking me? Are you trying to make me nervous?” He laughed.

She laughed too. “No, no, I’m sorry. I guess I’m just heaping too much information on you. It’s really just all normal family stuff. I swear.”

“Oh God. I’m finding it hard to believe you now. You just called your mom a poison gummy bear.” Sidney said, still chuckling. “Okay and Tim is your friend right? Or is he an ex? Will I need to fight him? Or outshoot him or something to prove my dominance?”

“No, he’s just an old friend. He’s great and always comes over on Thanksgiving night. You’ll really like him. Although we have seen each other naked.” She smiled slyly.

“Is this some kind of silly five year old kid thing that is never spoken of?”

She wasn't sure how she hadn't realized that revealing that would backfire spectacularly. “Oh. No. Well, actually it was while we were in college.” 

Slow the head swivel Sid, don’t give yourself whiplash. “Go on.”

“Ha, I mean really it’s almost cute how innocent it was. We were always really flirty friends with each other and the night before I went back for sophomore year we were kinda joking about going skinnydipping and well we both thought we were calling each other’s bluff and ended up seeing it through. It was just a really fun, silly night.” She said, smiling vaguely at the horizon.

UH. “Hey, Char, I’ve never been married before. I’m not sure how this works but I don’t think you’re supposed to tell me about being naked with other men while sporting a dreamy far off look in your eye.”

She reached over and pushed his shoulder playfully. “It was nothing. Really, it was exciting but I was mostly embarrassed. I didn’t even look at him.”

“He looked at you.” Sidney said knowingly.

“I don’t really think so. I think we both just mostly thought it was fun. We didn’t kiss or touch or anything.”

Sidney laughed softly. “Rest assured, he looked at you. There’s no way with those boobs and that ass that he didn’t look. And think about it looong after.”

Charlotte giggled, equally amused and uncomfortable. “I don’t think so. Well, I don’t know, maybe.”

“So this Tim guy had a bunch of sexual tension with you, saw you naked and then you guys never hooked up? What was the deal?”

“I don’t know. We were family friends first over everything. It made it a little weird, it raised the stakes a lot that our families were so close. And we were never really single at the same time. He had an on and off girlfriend through high school and college that he ended up marrying.”

“So he’s married too?”

“Well no, he and Angela divorced already this past year. They weren’t great for each other really. I feel bad because I remember he came to me before he proposed to ask if he should go through with it. We were 21 and I didn’t know. I just told him if he loved her and wanted to he should. It wasn’t great advice I guess.”

“Hold up. He was totally feeling you out, wasn’t he?” Tim, you dog.

“What do you mean?” Charlotte glanced over at him. She knew what he meant. She kinda always felt Tim had come to her with that question for a reason too but she never told anyone about that conversation, never heard a second opinion on it. 

“He wanted to know if there was a chance with you.” 

Yep, that’s how she had seen it too. But she had been away at WVU dating Devon for a while by then so she just pushed it all out of her mind. “I don’t think so.” This was way more Tim talk than she had anticipated. “I really think he was just confused since things had always been so up and down with them and I had been there through it all.”

Fucking Tim. Fucking… Breathe dude. Ancient history.

“Okay, whatever you say.” Sidney shrugged. Casual. “Here I was thinking our times in the pool this summer had been special but turns out you’ve been getting naked like it’s no big deal.” He said it like it was a joke but Charlotte saw through it immediately.

“Oh come on Sidney, you know they were. They were really fucking special.” She responded, pulling his hand onto her thigh and holding it there. “The time we've spent together has been worlds away from anything I've experienced before.”

He squeezed her hand. “Sorry, I don't mean to get all jealous husband on you. Yes, same for me.” They sat quietly for a while holding hands until Charlotte pulled away to merge into a different lane. 

Sidney kept his hand comfortably on her leg and his fingers started circling gently on her thigh. He had noticed and enjoyed that as she settled in for the long drive her left leg had fallen all the way to the door where it rested languidly. She was wearing a knee length dress and her skirt had ridden up her thigh just barely. Frankly, watching her drive his car had been pretty sexy. His hand started sliding down her leg and found its way to the hem of her skirt. He slipped under onto her bare skin. Charlotte shifted in her seat a bit and inhaled. Sidney grinned and trailed his hand up slightly and then pulled it back down to her knee, and then repeated the movement, each time going higher until he was finally resting at the top of her inner thigh, his fingers slowly, tantalizing caressing her leg. 

Charlotte bit her lower lip and tried to distract herself from her growing arousal. "Are you, are you staking your claim on me now after hearing about my previous escapades?" She asked jokingly. She was a smart one, this Charlotte.

Sidney leaned over the center console, his middle finger now sliding over her underwear. Charlotte's breath caught. "Charlotte", he said seriously, "I'm a modern man. I would never think I could stake my claim on you, or admit to it outloud anyway.” She snickered. He pulled his hand away and changed position, his left arm now resting on the back of her seat, his fingers absentmindedly stroking her shoulder, her hair. His right hand, meanwhile, was far more motivated as it reached across, under her skirt and started teasing her in earnest. “No, you just have me thinking now about that night in the pool when we turned all the lights off and it was just you and me and the moonlight and I took you on the pool stairs. Do you remember that Charlotte?” He murmured in her ear, his finger tracing small circles below.

Oh fuck. She blinked, her attention being pulled sharply in two very different directions. She glanced at the speedometer, 76 miles per hour. “Sidney. Sidney. This is a pretty terrible idea.” She said almost inaudibly.

“I know. It really is. But we're talking about you being naked and you’re wearing this dress without any tights on and I’m just very distracted.”

“I didn’t wear tights because it was going to be 55 degrees in the city today not because I was expecting to be fingerbanged by my husband while driving.”

“Hmm…” As if inspired, he slowly shifted his finger under her underwear and then slipped inside of her. Charlotte gasped, her back arching. He pushed in, watching her, his face only inches from hers. He drew back slowly and then plunged in again, starting a rhythm.

"Sidney, you have to stop. Really." she breathed. Even as her legs fell wider apart, as her body invited him in.

"Okay, you're right." All the while his finger pumping in and out. "I'll stop." He continued for another moment, neither of them really ready to stop but then reluctantly pulled his finger out, slowly dragging it over her clit on his exit. Charlotte shuddered and immediately wanted him back. What an asshole. She scanned the road ahead and within a couple miles had pulled off at a wide section of shoulder. She emphatically put the car in park, turned off the ignition and undid her seat belt. "Fuck you Sidney Parker." She said turning to him.

He smiled maniacally as she climbed over the console into his seat. "Yes please."

She quickly straddled him but there was nowhere for her knees to comfortably go so he flipped her below him, dropping the seat into the reclined position. It was cramped and they were frantic so he just went for it, pulling her underwear off and positioning himself between her legs. She reached down and undid his belt and fly. Sidney groaned as she pulled him out, so hard and ready. He pushed her skirt up and she placed her feet on the dashboard lifting her hips to meet him as he thrust into her. "Jeeesus." He exhaled as she cried out loudly under him. 

"Oh my God, that was hot." Charlotte said as they snuggled closely in his seat afterwards. "Also we can never do that again. I don’t want to die in a fiery wreck with your finger inside me."

"It wouldn't be such a bad way to go." Sidney said lazily.

"No, but a totally unnecessary way."

"It seemed pretty damn necessary to me." He answered, kissing her forehead and stroking her waist.

"Well I guess we have to add some time to our ETA."

"Thanksgiving traffic is always a bitch." He said and they chuckled together. "Oh boy, look at the windows." Sidney reached across her to switch the ignition. The chilly air outside had made their steam inside very quickly fog up all the windows. He lowered the windows partially to start clearing them and then settled down next to Charlotte again. He had pulled the neckline of her dress down during the act and her left nipple was still out and exposed. He dropped down and put his mouth over it, his tongue flicking as Charlotte sighed and squirmed.

"No, come on, you're going to get me excited again."

"That would really be horrible wouldn't it? I'd have to do something about that for you." He mumbled against her skin as he pulled her leg over his hip.

Just then they heard the loud noise of a vehicle passing over the rumble strip on the edge of the highway. They looked back to see a tractor trailer pulling to a stop behind them.

“Oh my god.” Charlotte said as she scrambled, inelegantly, back into the driver’s seat. She turned on the engine, switched the defogger on high and shoved her breast back into her dress. 

Sidney meanwhile settled himself back into his seat and was closing his belt when he started laughing. “Did you want these?” He asked, pulling her underwear up off of the floor. 

Charlotte snatched them back, blushing furiously and dropped her forehead to the steering wheel giggling in mortification. “Oh my god.” She pulled them back on and clicked her seatbelt, willing the windows to defog quicker. 

“Just think, this poor guy might not be home for Thanksgiving this year. We may have just brightened his holiday season, given him a little something to be grateful for.” Sidney said with mock earnestness.

Charlotte finally pulled the car forward. As she merged onto the highway, Sidney lowered his window enough to raise his arm out in a farewell to the trucker behind them.

“You’re going to talk about this for years, aren’t you?”

He was almost doubled over in laughter. “Well, why wouldn’t I? Every part of that was amazing. It could be the start of a Thanksgiving tradition in which I regale the table with the story of the Thanksgiving trucker.”

“You wouldn’t dare.”

“Well, obviously not this year. You need to give stories like this some time to really mature and reach their full potential. Picture it, we’re gathered around the table and I begin, “Grandkids, let me tell you the story of the time I banged your grandma on the side of the Pennsylvania Turnpike… It’s beautiful, practically Norman Rockwell.”

“You’re so terrible. I don’t even doubt it.” She laughed back.

They sat quietly for a couple minutes both smiling in the aftermath of it all. “It does sound good though really, the grandkid part, doesn’t it?” Sidney asked. Ever since he had given in to his feelings for Charlotte, had allowed himself the hope of traveling through life with someone by his side, it was thoughts like this that really swept him off of his feet. Thoughts of a family life, of togetherness, partnership, of building back some of the sense of family he had lost with the deaths of his parents. “It’s going to be great being a grandparent with you.”

“It really will be.” She said smiling, understanding the sincerity, the depth of his thoughts and just as pleased by the thought of their future. "As long as you don't tell anyone that story."


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yins, I'm so glad you're all here! Thanks for your enthusiasm! Let's meet the Heywoods, shall we?

They arrived in Charlotte's hometown of Smiths Bend around 5:00. It had been almost a year since Charlotte had been home and seeing all of the familiar sights, driving the familiar dips and curves in the road, filled her heart with peace. Home. It felt really good to be home. But for Sidney, this was all a surprising turn of events, an unexpected source for his bright and beautiful wife. The town was three blocks long, a church on each block, a handful of shops, half of which seemed to be boarded up, old houses scattered in between, one with the front porch pulling off of the facade. It was hardly the scenic rural town he had envisioned. 

“Zigler’s 5 and 10?” he chuckled as they passed a business that by the looks of it, may have gone out of business 50 years ago. The peeling sign, the hodge podge of sun faded merchandise in the front window. “What do they even sell there? Special this week on cobwebs and decay.”

“Oh, the uh Ziglers, we’ve known them for years. It’s actually a pretty useful store. I think now they sell some thrifted stuff and then a lot of overstock stuff from hardware stores and I don’t know, lots of random things.” Charlotte trailed off. 

“Oh shit, I'm really sorry. I didn't...” He trailed off, unsure of what to say

“No, no, I know. Things are different here.” She answered with a tight smile, feeling the difference acutely, suddenly seeing her hometown through his eyes.

They drove up the hill from town and over some winding roads to arrive at the Heywood residence. The house was a ranch style house, a long driveway leading up to it, the cold remains of flower beds out front. 

“I’m really happy to be here Charlotte.” Sidney said, squeezing her hand, aware that he needed to make up for his thoughtless comment. 

Charlotte smiled brightly at him. Pulling up in front of her childhood home had lifted her spirits enough that in that moment, she wasn't worried about what Sidney was thinking, she was just glad to be back. She squeezed his hand back and hopped out of the car just as her front door burst open and Allison and her mom came spilling out. Charlotte ran to them, hugging her mom first and then her sister. There were tears and and kisses and it seemed like perhaps they'd all never let each other go but eventually Charlotte pulled back. 

"Mom, Allison, this is Sidney." She said and he stepped forward. 

"My new son in law!" Mrs Heywood said warmly and she rushed forward to enclose him in a tight hug. "Oh I still can't believe it. Welcome."

Allison smiled a bit shyly at him. Sidney stepped towards her, opening his arms. "Allison, I am aware that you're Charlotte's actual soulmate. I promise, I'm not trying to usurp you."

She laughed as they hugged. "I'm glad you're not trying to because it would be a fruitless effort on your part."

By then the rest of the family had come out and Sidney shook hands with Mr Heywood and Charlotte's younger brothers Mike and Jacob.

"Matt's still at WVU of course. He'll be getting in tomorrow sometime." Allison said knowingly to Charlotte.

"Getting in very hung over sometime tomorrow to be more specific." Charlotte smiled. She turned to Sidney, "It's a big party night at WVU. You'll have to excuse Matt as he's sure to be worse for wear when you meet him."

"Are we amused by that or annoyed?" Sidney asked.

"Oh it's just so Matt." Charlotte said laughing and rolling her eyes with Allison. 

Right, so Matt. Okay. Sidney followed the Heywoods into the house.

Overall the house was a pretty standard, modest family home. There was wood paneling on the walls, small bedrooms, a country style kitchen that Mrs Heywood had been very proud of when they remodeled in the 90’s. And then there was an enormous great room that had been added onto the back of the house, vaulted ceilings, a fireplace. It was very out of place but admittedly very nice and comfortable. Sidney learned that the addition had been done five years ago almost entirely for the purpose of hosting big family gatherings like tomorrow’s Thanksgiving. For Sidney, raised in city apartments and townhouses, the whole house felt like a study in classic Americana. For Charlotte, seeing it a bit through his eyes, it looked dated and a little worse for wear. 

The evening went well enough. They ate lasagna, they drank beer, a lot of stories and inside jokes were told. A lot of questions were asked about Sidney and his life without getting too pushy or deep. It was a perfectly fine first meeting. Sidney felt like everyone might have had a more fun, easy time if he wasn't there but well, that wasn't going to be the case now. He was part of their new normal. Charlotte was excited and distracted by her family, talking a mile a minute with them but she stayed physically close to him all evening and for that he was grateful.

All the same, he was relieved for the end of the night, for the chance to have Charlotte to himself. They would be sleeping in Charlotte and Allison's old room. The younger boys were bunking together so Allison could sleep in Mike's room and again Sidney felt a little guilty about being there, messing with the family order. 

As he came back from the bathroom, Charlotte's mom was walking out of their room. Charlotte smirked at him. "I just had a kinda uncomfortable conversation with my mom."

"Oh?"

"She apologized that there's only twin beds in this room so she had pushed the beds together and put a queen sheet over them to try to make it more comfortable for us."

"Well that's nice."

"I know, just funny that she had to acknowledge that we would be sleeping together I guess. I think she's still thrown by this."

They undressed and settled into bed and Sidney sighed a deep, happy sigh to have Charlotte lying in his arms again. And then they heard the voices of her parents murmuring through the wall. Charlotte felt Sidney tense. “Yeah, the walls are pretty thin in this house.”

He chuckled, “Duly noted.”

“I’m tired anyway.”

“Me too. Goodnight Charlotte.” 

“Hey." She kissed his chest. "Happy two week anniversary.”

He smiled widely in the dark and tightened his hold on her. “Yes, happy two week anniversary.”

Sidney woke up Thanksgiving morning to find Charlotte a little further from him than usual. They had both sunken into the gap between the mattresses over the course of the night so he wasn’t surprised to find that by morning they were both sleeping apart, each on their own twin. He looked over and saw her sprawled out on her stomach and couldn’t resist moving over and laying half of his body on top of her, nuzzling his face into her hair, inhaling her scent.

“Mmm… Happy thanksgiving.” She mumbled half asleep.

“Happy Thanksgiving.” He responded, kissing her cheek.

“I’m very grateful for you this year.", her voice adorably sleepy.

“Yes, same.” He said as he gently ran his hand down her arm, kissed her shoulder. They laid like that for a while until Charlotte woke up enough to really feel his naked body against hers. She could feel his morning erection against her butt and she lifted and rolled her hips, grinding back on him. He groaned quietly, his lips at her ear. 

“Yes?” he whispered.

She nodded her head in answer and pushed back against him again. He reached down and nudged her legs apart enough that he could start to finger her gently. She sighed into her pillow. He rocked his body against her thigh in time with his finger movements and it wasn’t long until they both needed more. He spread her legs wider and settled over her, pushing in slowly from behind. It was a struggle for both of them to be silent and it took half of their concentration to remain that way. He moved slowly thinking it would be quieter but his long deliberate strokes, the restraint of it all made it maddeningly good and they were both gasping by the time he rolled them back onto their sides, rocking spooned together. Charlotte loved that Sidney had full access to the front of her body in this position and he made good use of that freedom, taking his sweet time as his hands traveled everywhere, driving her to distraction. He was focused on her breasts when they heard the bathroom door across the hall open and he immediately froze.

"Keep going. It's not ours. Don't stop." She panted desperately, sliding back on him, urging him to move again. 

"Oh God Charlotte." He moaned quietly in her ear. He trailed his hand down and started really dedicating himself to bringing her higher and higher. There were voices in the hall, the sounds of the day starting as the household woke up. She finally reached her peak and with a deep gasp shuddered over it, her body contracting tightly on him as she turned her face into her pillow to muffle any inadvertent sounds.

Sidney kept a gentle pace as her body settled. But then rolled her back over on her stomach and resumed more forcefully. Charlotte whimpered and bounced her body back to meet him on each thrust until shortly he let go with a silent roar, his forehead against her back. He took a couple deep breaths and then collapsed on top of her.

"God, I love you." Charlotte whispered.

Promptly at 9:00 Allison turned on the Macy’s day parade in the great room and the family flitted in and out, eating a casual breakfast of muffins and fruit set up on the coffee table.

“Did you go to the Thanksgiving parade growing up Sidney?” Mrs Heywood asked. 

Sidney was mid sip of coffee and nodded, setting his cup down. “Yeah. My dad really loved the parade. He used to go as a kid himself, so on the years when we were home for Thanksgiving he’d take us. My mom would stay home under the pretense of cooking but I think she secretly drank wine and enjoyed having a quiet home for a few hours.”

Mrs. Heywood smiled. “As a mother of a handful of kids I can understand that. And what are your Thanksgiving traditions like now?” 

“Um, well since moving back to New York, it’s just my siblings and I. It's not really a big to do. We have an aunt and uncle in Long Island but we don't see them that often and don't have much other family in the area.” 

“Charlotte says your paternal grandmother still lives in New York.”

“Yes, she moved back from Florida about ten years ago. She’s in an assisted living home in the Village, near my older brother’s place.”

“That’s nice.” Mrs Heywood smiled. Charlotte leaned on Sidney and kissed his shoulder. And they all turned their eyes back to the tv.

Once Mrs. Heywood finished her coffee she turned to Charlotte. “Charlotte, love, can you help me get the biscuit dough started?” Charlotte nodded and they headed off to the kitchen together. 

“It’s so good to finally have you back home.” Mrs Heywood said, pulling the flour from the pantry. “And Sidney seems nice.”

“Thanks Mom. He’s really great. I’m so glad he’s here to meet you all.”

“He does seem like a bit of a lonely young man though. His family life is so sad.”

Charlotte considered this briefly. She had never really seen Sidney as being lonely. There was a bit of truth behind it but it wasn’t how she wanted her family to see him. “Well, sure, it is sad, very sad. But he’s very close with his siblings and he has really wonderful friends too. I’m telling you Mom, he’s great. I’m really happy.”

“Well, I’m glad for that. I just", Mrs Heywood paused and Charlotte braced herself for the initial judgment as she dug through her mom’s fridge for the eggs, butter and milk, "I just don’t understand why you chose to marry so quickly. And don’t get me wrong, I like what I’ve seen from him so far, but I just don’t understand. We didn’t get to meet him beforehand. We didn’t even know you were getting married until it already happened. You know Daddy wanted to walk you down the aisle, goodness, wanted to shake your future husband’s hand when he asked for yours.”

Charlotte set out the refrigerator ingredients and they started measuring. “Mom, I don’t know what to tell you. It just felt right so we went ahead and did it.” 

“But you don’t just do that Charlotte.”

“Well why not? The marriage is between him and I. Why would we need to pull other people into the decision making?”

“Marriage is never just between two people Charlotte, never.” Charlotte rolled her eyes but didn’t respond and for a while a silence settled over them as they started mixing the dough. Once done, Mrs Heywood handed Charlotte a rolling pin and the two of them went to work rolling and cutting the biscuits.

Mrs Heywood took a deep breath and started again. She obviously had something on her mind and was working towards it. “It just doesn’t sound like you Charlotte. You know, if you have an announcement to make at dinner today I hope you’ll tell me first. I don’t want to be surprised by news like that in front of everyone.”

Charlotte eyebrows pulled together. “News like what? What are you even talking about?”

Her mom dropped another biscuit on her baking sheet and faced her, clearly agitated. “Are you pregnant Charlotte? Just tell me.”

“Geez Mom, no! Is that the only reason you think I’d get married?”

“Well within a few months of knowing someone! What about poor Devon? That poor boy was head over heels for you and you dated forever but you wouldn’t even think of marrying him.”

“Mom! I loved Devon. We dated for two and a half years but he wasn’t the guy. I just knew it wasn’t right. Why are you bringing him up?”

Mrs Heywood ignored Charlotte’s questions and protestations. She continued on, looking squarely at her work and avoiding Charlotte’s eyes. “And I, I just really thought that with Tim getting divorced that maybe, maybe you guys would finally give it a go. It always felt like you two would make your way to each other. You always seemed like such a natural fit.”

Charlotte’s frustration bubbled over. “Mom, are you kidding me?! Mom, look, I’m not dating Sidney. We’re married. He’s my husband. It’s done. You don’t need to worry about any other guys. Okay?” They were both so engaged in each other that they hadn’t noticed that Sidney had come in to offer his help in the kitchen and then silently backed out.

A little bit later Charlotte burst into the great room with a scowl on her face. “Allison, we have to drive the biscuits over to Grandma’s so she can put them in the oven.” Allison started in surprise by Charlotte’s change in mood and glanced back at Sidney. He felt Allison’s gaze and, without removing his eyes from the tv, shrugged a shoulder in mock ignorance. He couldn’t bring himself to really look at Charlotte, didn’t want to think about whatever she might be thinking about. Allison got up dutifully and followed Charlotte out.

They got into the car. Grandma Heywood lived a mile away so it was common practice to run things over to her oven throughout Thanksgiving day as needed but Allison was surprised when Charlotte turned the opposite way out of the driveway, obviously looking for a few extra minutes of escape.

“Mom?” She asked, reading that specific brand of tension that only their mother could inspire.

Charlotte scoffed. “Ugh, she’s over there in the kitchen asking if I’m pregnant because she can’t see why else I’d dare to marry someone!”

Allison sat for a moment. “Well, yeah, I mean we were all surprised.”

“But it’s my life.”

“But that’s family Charlotte. It’s your life but we’re all going to talk about it. You know that’s just the way it is." She looked out the window for a little bit and then turned back to Charlotte with a small grin. 'I mean honestly there’s been two schools of thought about this and they’ve been thoroughly discussed by the whole extended family. Half the family thinks you’re pregnant and half thinks you married him for his money.”

“Are you kidding me?!? Come on!” Charlotte responded in complete exasperation.

“I mean, no one doubts that you guys love each other too, but to move this fast is out of character for you. Everyone’s just trying to figure it out.” Allison paused and then laughed out loud to herself. “Of course only I know the real reason you married him.”

“Please tell me its love.” 

“Well yeah, but surely the sex must also be really good.”

Charlotte swerved slightly causing Allison to laugh even harder. “Why? What?” Charlotte sputtered, her mind immediately wandering back to the morning, wondering if they had been louder than she thought.

“I think you must have forgotten that you sent me this at the start of the summer.” Allison said as she scrolled through her phone. She finally found what she was looking for and started reading it in a girlish, gossipy voice.

“OMG Allison. Mary’s brother in law is the hottest guy I’ve ever seen and we started to hook up last night after being at the bar but then he cut it off and seriously, SERIOUSLY, how am I supposed to function with this in my line of sight?!?” 

Allison resumed in her regular voice, “And then there’s a picture that seemed to be taken surreptitiously from a window of him lying on a raft in the pool.”

Charlotte laughed. “Oh God. I forgot I sent that. Please don’t ever show it to Sidney. He’ll never let me live it down.”

“Don’t worry, I’m already having it framed as a wedding gift.” The sisters laughed loudly together and as they calmed down Allison spoke up again. “Look, I’m really happy for you. You seem to be good together but it’s just going to take time for all of us to adjust to it and get to know him.”

Charlotte glanced at Allison and spoke quietly. “Mom said you were upset about it. That you cried because it meant I wouldn’t be moving back to Pittsburgh.”

Charlotte had moved to Pittsburgh for a chance to live in a city after college and then a couple years later, when Allison graduated she immediately applied for a teaching job in the Pittsburgh school district so they could be together again. Unfortunately it was only a couple months later that Charlotte applied to NYU. It had been hard to leave Allison after a very fun year together but they talked about how she would move back once she had finished her masters. There were great universities, museums and an impressive public library system in Pittsburgh. It seemed like getting a library science position there was a really reasonable plan.

“I mean, yeah, it wasn’t a really happy surprise for me. I wanted you to move back but that’s life, you know? And what’s the saying? ‘Man plans and God laughs - as he throws a handsome man in front of your sister.’”

“It’s a really wise saying.” Charlotte said seriously before bursting out in laughter again. “Oh Allison, I’m so glad you’re here and in my corner. I’m thinking this is going to be a more stressful weekend than I imagined.”


	3. Chapter 3

"So I heard your dad died in 9/11." Uncle Ed said unceremoniously during a commercial break. Sidney and all of the male cousins, uncles and assorted others were in the great room watching football.

"Oh. Yeah."

"Hell of a thing. I'm sorry. My Todd over there enlisted right after." Ed said, gesturing to his grown son with his beer bottle. 

Sidney looked over at Todd and then back at Ed and then back to Todd. "Uh, thanks." They all nodded slightly and then silently watched a commercial for a Dodge Ram.

"Joe has that truck. He says it's better than his old Ford." Ed said over his shoulder to one of the peripheral cousins who nodded in response. He then turned his attention back to Sidney. "What did you think of that 10 year anniversary special? I thought they did a pretty nice job."

Sidney furrowed his brow for a moment before he realized they were talking about 9/11 again. "Oh, I, uh, didn't watch it." He learned a while back that watching that footage brought him no closure, it only led to spiraling. But that was the thing about losing a loved one in a major tragedy, everybody else watched it. Everybody saw the footage of their death, of the moment your life fell apart. It was uncomfortable to put it mildly. But Ed was looking at him like it was bizarre that he hadn't watched, like he hadn’t properly honored the dead by watching a documentary special. "My siblings and I went to the anniversary memorial at the site. Charlotte went too. It was….nice." Sidney offered.

"Yeah, we watched that on tv. I think we'll check out the memorial site and the museum when we come up for your party next weekend."

Sidney cocked his head. "Oh, I don't think we got your RSVP. I hope it didn't get lost." It was a damn evite, it didn’t get lost.

"Ah, nah, Patti didn’t rsvp, I think she just told Charlotte's mom. That's okay right?"

Sidney stifled a chuckle. Yeah, Uncle Ed, rsvp'ing is totally just a suggestion. Head counts are just for shits and giggles. "Sure, yeah, that's fine. I’ll adjust the list. Just make sure you book the hotel because I think the special rate for our block of rooms expires this weekend. Getting hotels in the city is pretty expensive during the holiday season and all." Ed just grunted and turned his eyes back to the tv.

They watched intently for a while, the casual murmuring about plays, the shouts of approval for strong passes, the sound of a bunch of men watching football. And then fucking Ed opened his mouth again at half time and Sidney kicked himself for not looking for an out sooner.

"So your family is in real estate development in the city, right?" Sidney just nodded, pretending he was really interested in the announcers' halftime commentary. "You guys are like the Trumps."

Sidney scoffed in his beer. "Hardly."

"Well we should all be so lucky right? That guy, boy, does he know how to make money." Ed whistled. Sidney clenched his jaw, kept his mouth firmly shut. While they weren't in the same sphere, his dad had had some experience with Trump over the years and had very few complimentary things to say about him or the way he conducted his business. "And he could have been our president, can you imagine?"

"Nope. Honestly, I think it would be a total shitshow." Sidney answered abruptly, unable to hold back but his eyes still firmly trained on the tv. A couple of the other guys in the room chuckled in agreement but he knew it certainly hadn't endeared him to Ed.

"Well, if he ran again, I'd vote for him."

Cool Ed. Sidney got up. "I'm going to get another drink. Anyone need anything?" He did a cursory look around the room to be polite and then quickly left before anyone could answer and give him a reason to return.

He peeked in on the kitchen looking for Charlotte but instead was immediately detained by Aunt Brenda and two of Mrs Heywood’s cousins, Mary Ellen and Barb. “There’s our handsome new family member. Isn’t he just the handsomest? Our Charlotte has done well for herself.” Barb gushed as she pulled him to her side. Sidney smiled awkwardly and noticed that Brenda arched an eyebrow at Mary Ellen. What was that all about Aunt Brenda?

He cleared his throat and settled in for more small talk. “And how’s the start of the holiday season treating you all?”

“Just wonderful. I love this time of year, when the cold starts rolling in. I mean by February I’ll be sick of snow and ice but it’s so lovely when it first starts up, isn’t it?” Barb prattled.

“Well lucky for you then that you and Joe are running down to Florida this year.” Mary Ellen said.

“That sounds nice. Where are you going?” Sidney asked.

“Bradenton, it’s south of Tampa. We just love it there. We're going for the Pirates spring training.” 

“Perfect.” Sidney smiled. “Beaches and baseball, two excellent things.” Barb smiled back at him and patted his arm affectionately in approval. Score. He was making mental notes of which relatives he had won over.

“And you and Charlotte are taking a honeymoon right after Christmas right?” Mary Ellen asked and Sidney nodded. “It’s so important to take these trips for yourselves as a young couple. Once these babies start coming you won’t get out again until you’re old like us.”

There had been A LOT of talk of babies today. Sidney was starting to think half the family assumed this had been a shotgun wedding. In an attempt to delicately clear that assumption he answered, “Yes, I agree. In fact we actually just started talking about taking a bigger trip this summer, maybe a couple weeks somewhere exciting.”

Brenda raised her eyebrows. “Wow. That’s pretty fancy especially right on the heels of another international trip. Don't you also have that big beach house?”

Shit. He realized belatedly this was not the company to speak so casually of extravagant vacations. "Well, we have two very big things to celebrate this year, our marriage and Charlotte's master's degree. It seemed fitting."

"Yes, that's very nice for you." Aunt Brenda said smiling but Sidney knew she had made her own mental notes on him. Damn, Mrs Heywood and her siblings, he was striking out left and right. 

Charlotte found him twenty minutes later reading in their room. “Hey.” She said softly, sitting next to him. “Are you in hiding?” He immediately pulled her down and hugged her to him. 

“Yeah, I’m sorry. I got overwhelmed.”

“Uncle Ed said I have questionable taste in men now as you’re not a Steelers fan or a Trump fan.” Sidney half chuckled, half groaned as he hid his face in her shoulder. She gently stroked her fingers through his dark curls.

“Yeah, well, we also got to talk about 9/11 and how he’s coming to our party without rsvp’ing. Also I’ve had about seven people ask me if we’re going to start having kids right away, which I think is a fairly standard newlywed question but the frequency and phrasing makes me wonder if you have news you haven’t shared with me. And there’s been some awkward alluding to how much money I have by several people. And then on top of that there’s just kitschy Jesus pictures looking at me from wherever I am and so many doilies Charlotte. There’s so many doilies here.” He reached over to the nightstand and shook the one sitting under their water glass demonstratively. "It's just all so much."

Charlotte blushed a bit, knowing he was joking about the last parts but still feeling a little self conscious by his critique of her parents’ decor. “I’m sorry. It’s a lot of people to meet all at once and we are a bit crazy.”

“Well you’re not crazy. I mean you escaped. You’re not this brand of crazy.”

Charlotte was conflicted. She knew he was feeling overwhelmed and vulnerable but she also didn’t want him thinking she set herself apart from her family. Her background, her life before New York was important to her. She didn’t want Sidney to think she had relinquished Charlotte Heywood when she became Charlotte Parker. “Well kinda, but this is who I am too, Sidney.” He squinted and gave her a dubious look. “No, really. I mean this is my home and who I am.”

“It’s not your home anymore though.”

“Sure it is. This will always be my home, where I belong.”

This sat uncomfortably with Sidney in a vague sort of way. “But your full time home is New York with me.”

“I guess-” she started and was interrupted by a knock at the door. 

“Charlotte? Are you in there? We’re going to sit and eat in a few minutes.”

“Okay. Thanks Allison.” She gave Sidney a quick peck. "Come on. Round two."

All together there were about 25 adults and 11 kids. The couches and chairs in the great room had been shifted to the walls and multiple fold out tables had been set up in a long row in the room with a separate kids table. It was a family gathering like Sidney had never experienced and he was relieved to be seated comfortably next to Charlotte and on the far side of the room from Uncle Ed.

"Okay, so who's going out tomorrow and where?" Todd asked as they sat around eating. The men started answering and it dawned on Sidney that they were talking about hunting.

"You're coming out with me and boys tomorrow right Charlotte? I know you're not going shopping with Allison and everyone." The gender divide on Black Friday was pretty clear in the family, a group of women usually heading off for Clarksburg and shopping and the guys heading into the woods for deer. Charlotte was one of the few crossovers. As a kid she found out she was a pretty good shot and it pleased her father so much that she just went with it.

"Actually I was thinking maybe Sidney and I would go for a hike at Spruce Knob tomorrow morning."

"Well, why don't you two go Saturday? Sidney can come along with us tomorrow." her father seamlessly pressured. Charlotte glanced at Sidney to read his reaction. 

"Oh I…I've never even shot a gun before. I don't think it's really the place for me." Every head at the table seemed to turn his way.

"You've never shot a gun?" Charlotte asked, mildly surprised. "Not even at a bachelor party or something?" 

Sidney gave her a look. "What exactly are bachelor parties like around here?"

Charlotte chuckled. "Never you mind."

Mr Heywood spoke up. "Nonsense Sidney, we'll take you out to the targets after dinner and give you a few lessons. I'm sure you'll be fine."

The truth of the matter was that Sidney didn't really want the opportunity to potentially watch his wife take down an animal. He wasn't sure how much that emasculated him in everyone's eyes but he felt pretty strongly that he was going to stick to his metaphorical guns here. He cleared his throat. "I'm not at all against hunting of course, I just don't think I'm interested in going out. Thank you though." He added politely. There was a pause as Mr Heywood pursed his lips and nodded. "Oh, uh but by all means Charlotte, you should go, really."

Mrs Heywood brightened at this. "Yes, that should settle it. They'll be back before you know it anyway Sidney. They leave so early in the morning. And it's such a family tradition. I know my husband's been looking forward to having Charlotte up in a tree stand with him again."

Charlotte squeezed his knee under the table but even so it felt like his Charlotte was very far away.

After dinner the room was cleared of tables, the couches were shifted into place and football was switched back on. Sidney quickly volunteered for kitchen clean up. Some of the guests filtered out, and as the autumn night settled in, other guests started to show up, mostly younger people, friends of the Heywood children but also some neighbors and friends. Charlotte was a hot commodity, everyone wanted to hear about grad school, New York, her new husband. Sidney joined for the start of each conversation to get his formal introduction but soon enough the conversation steered to reminiscing and catching up and he would find himself extraneous.

It was around 8:00 when Tim showed up and while Sidney knew it was coming he was still not ready. Tim was tall, perhaps even had a couple inches on Sidney, light brown hair swept to the side. He was bulkier than Sidney but it was obvious a good amount of it was muscle. He looked like an average dude, but a pretty decent looking average dude.

“Char Heywood!” he exclaimed and she rushed to him, the two of them grasping each other in a close hug. “Oh babe, it’s been too long.” He said as he lifted her slightly off her feet. It’s been so long that she’s not a Heywood anymore asshole. Sidney was aware that his lip had curled up in obvious distaste. He knew he should do something about that but it seemed to be stuck in position.

To her credit, as soon as Charlotte pulled away she turned back looking for him. “Sidney, Sidney, come meet Tim!” She called waving him over. “Tim, this is my husband, Sidney.” They shook hands and sized each other up and Sidney seriously felt like something straight out of an Animal Planet documentary about male dominance in mating. His jaw was clenched, his back straighter, reaching for those couple extra inches.

“Good to meet you man. I’ve heard good things.” Sidney said civilly, his voice even lower than usual, as he shook Tim’s hand and simultaneously snaked his other arm around Charlotte’s waist.

“Nice to meet you. I’ve only heard things through the grapevine but look forward to getting to know the man that bagged our Charlotte.”

Our Charlotte. “Ah, well if you’ve heard things through the grapevine then I feel I should clarify that Charlotte is not in fact pregnant as that seems to be a running theme.”

“Sidney.” Charlotte blushed and looked away.

“Well you’re not, right?”

“Stop.” She laughed a bit uncomfortably.

“Ha. Well. Good to get that kinda stuff cleared up right away.” Tim said, looking around the room. “Char, I’m gonna go catch up with Matt a bit and then we have a lot to talk about, okay?” He lightly touched her shoulder as he spoke and then walked off into the crowd.

Sidney opened one of the bottles of bourbon they brought. He figured they brought it for the guests and he was a guest so why not, right? 

“Charlotte told me you make a mean old fashioned young man, so why don’t you mix up a couple so we can share a nightcap before I leave?” Charlotte’s grandma had appeared at his elbow.

“Grandma Rose, you have great taste. Anything for you.” He said as he started mixing her drink. He saw a lot of similarities in Charlotte and Grandma Rose. She was stubborn and strong and funny and sweet. Right now she was definitely his favorite family member.

“You have great taste too to have married Charlotte.” She said smiling up at him. 

Sidney grinned, watching his hands as he sliced off some orange peel. “She’s just, she's wonderful. I’m a very lucky man.” He finished mixing their drinks and holding them in his hands, he offered her his elbow. “Here let’s sit right here.” He led her over to a chair, supported her as she sat and then handed her her drink. There wasn’t another chair so he just crouched next to hers.

“Well let’s toast dear to your new marriage. May it be very blessed.” They clinked glasses and took a sip. “Yes, well it looks like Charlotte has good taste too. You do make a mean old fashioned.” They smiled at each other and then drank in companionable silence for a while until she spoke again. “Everyone always wanted to see them end up together but I never saw it. I don’t think he ever would have been enough for her.” She mused out loud. 

“Hmm?” Sidney asked, shaking himself from his trance. He had been gazing at Charlotte and Tim who seemed to be having a very intimate discussion across the room.

“Charlotte. Charlotte and Tim. They would have been happy enough but I think Charlotte always needed someone that would challenge her a bit. She looks at you different than she ever looked at him.”

Sidney turned to look at her. “Grandma Rose, I really needed that. Thank you.” He raised his glass to her and took a sip.

“I know you did. You were starting to look pretty mopey.” Sidney almost choked on his drink. She handed him her half full glass. “You’ll have to finish this for me, I’m a lightweight in my old age. And I need you to find me someone sober enough to drive me home now please.”

Her abruptness made him chuckle. “Sure thing Grandma Rose, you got it.” He kissed her hand and went to go find a designated driver.

Charlotte sat on the floor by the fireplace with Tim. They had officially reached the point in the night where there were more people than chairs. She loved Thanksgiving, loved that her family was the host family, that people all over town felt comfortable dropping in and hanging out with them. She knew it was a lot to ask but she kinda hoped that Sidney would agree to spend Thanksgiving in West Virginia every year. Although by the looks of it, he wouldn’t be dying to come back anytime soon. He stood over by the bar picking up the bottles and looking at them disinterestedly, smiling at people as they passed but not engaging. She should go to him soon, check in. It was hard to get away from Tim right now though. He had been telling her about the finalization of the divorce and she felt she had to be the good friend and hear it out.

“But now I’m single again and you’re married. Kinda the story of our life, huh?” Tim said, bumping her shoulder with his, alluding to their history of always seeming to alternate in being in relationships.

“Mm.” She answered noncommittally.

“So how is it? How’s married life in the Big Apple? I’ve been talking your ear off. Your turn. Fill me in.”

“Well”, she chuckled, “we’ve only been married for two weeks so it’s good. There hasn’t been time for it to go bad, you know.”

“Nothing wrong with a good start.”

“Yeah, yeah. Sidney’s great. I’ve never felt this way about anyone before, it’s just different. It feels totally right.”

Tim grunted and took a swig from his beer. “Nice, nice. Good to hear Heywood.”

She smiled shyly at him. “You know it’s Parker now.” 

“Ha. Yeah, yeah, right. Parker.” He turned his beer bottle in his hands. He took a breath. “Do you think it’ll be hard being with someone that’s so different? I always thought not sharing a common background would make things so much more complicated.”

“Well, I mean, it’s kinda weird right now. Sidney’s pretty out of his element here. But umm I think it’ll be fine.”

“Right, right, of course. I mean, I married local and see where that got me right?” He chuckled. “It's just, it’s good to be who you really are with someone and feel totally comfortable in that, you know? To know that they really see you, that they get where you’re coming from.”

“Yeah.” Charlotte answered slowly, letting his words sink in. She looked back at the bar across the room and Sidney was gone.

Despite Grandma Rose’s encouraging words Sidney still couldn’t really shake his mood. By the time he had found a sober and willing driver and went back to the great room Charlotte was in a big group, animated, laughing with friends and family. He sidled up to her and stood there. She smiled at him and briefly rubbed his back affectionately. He tried to follow the conversation, to seem interested, but honestly, he was a bit bored by all the shared stories he hadn’t lived through. There was a lot of talk of Dirt Fest, some kind of dirt bike competition/parade/festival type thing? He really couldn’t catch the enthusiasm. It didn’t help that he was tired and maybe just a bit drunk now too. Finally Charlotte turned to him. 

“You know you can go to bed if you want.” she said quietly. Apparently his acting skills were lacking.

“Oh, I uh...Would that be really terrible?”

“No, things will start dying down here soon anyway as everyone wants to get up early for hunting and shopping. I’ll be in in a bit.”

“Uh, okay, if you think it won’t look bad.” He kissed the top of her head and then raised his hand in salute to the group and backed out. He tried to stay up reading, waiting for Charlotte but the next thing he knew it was morning and he was waking up alone in bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Family amirite?


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really thought yesterday's chapter would bring radio silence as most people don't want to live through those kind of family functions, let alone read about them. But I love that it struck you all and I love that there was a range of reactions! I'd be really interested to chart people's thoughts in relation to their own family size. Fanfic data. Just what my nerdy little heart needs.
> 
> Okay, let's get back into it. It's time for Sidney to run into Tim in a towel in the hallway. JK, I just miss my pal, Eliza.

Sidney walked out to the kitchen to find a plate of coffee cake and a bowl of fruit on the table with a note. 

Good morning Sidney!  
I hope you get to sleep in late and relax. Please make yourself at home.   
There's coffee in the pot. The hunters will be back by mid morning.   
Thanks so much for being flexible.  
Mom Heywood

The poison gummy bear strikes. Overall he’d barely talked to Mrs Heywood all day yesterday as she had been so busy cooking and hosting. But the interactions they did have were good and she was very grateful for all of the cleaning he did in the kitchen after dinner. Moms love clean kitchens. He knew he could deliver there. Although frankly he felt less interested in winning her over after he had overheard the way she talked about Tim with Charlotte. Was she really that disappointed that they were married? How much did that matter to Charlotte? He dropped the note back onto the table and decided to go for a run. The winding, hilly roads made for a good workout and the cold morning air was bracing and good for clearing his head or at least for distracting him from his thoughts.

Charlotte sat up in her tree stand. She hated leaving Sidney this morning and briefly considered pretending to be sick so she could stay home without hurting her father’s feelings. It felt like she lost with whatever scenario she chose. But she also felt like Sidney having the house to himself would be a fairly welcome respite after the chaos of yesterday and so she kissed his warm, sleeping cheek and slipped out before dawn with everyone.

Yesterday had not really been great. She was feeling some big conflicting emotions that were all coming to a head here in the hushed forest. For whatever reason, she hadn’t really expected her elopement to be such a seismic event in her family. She obviously knew everyone would be surprised but she didn’t think they’d be so up in arms about it. Her talk with her mom had been horrible, like really horrible. She couldn’t believe that she thought she was hiding a pregnancy or that she brought up Tim and his divorce. She hated learning that her marriage had made Allison cry. She hated that Sidney had felt so uncomfortable yesterday. In her head, she had imagined that he would have charmed her whole extended family easily. It almost shocked her that instead his introduction had been so awkward and lackluster. And she couldn’t really decide who’s fault that was. Was it hers? Should she have done a better job of talking him up? Was it her family's? Did they just disregard him as an outsider, a snobby New Yorker? Or, perhaps more disappointing, had it been Sidney’s fault? Had he put up his old walls and deliberately kept his distance?

This was where she was really stuck. He did drift away from every conversation she brought him into, seemed bored, aimless. He seemed to be going through the motions rather than letting her family see him for who he really was. It made her feel like maybe he did look down on her hometown, her family, like he didn't want to make the effort. That maybe his moneyed, cosmopolitan upbringing left him with a bit of disdain for rural America. Maybe as she fell in love with him she overlooked the Mr Park Slope pretension she had noticed the night she met him. 

God, had she overlooked a lot? Was Allison right? Did she jump into marriage just because the sex was so good? Worse still, had the comfort of his lifestyle actually influenced her? She didn’t think so but she was thrown by everyone else’s judgments and she had to admit that life had gotten a lot easier once bills had become a little less pressing. She still felt sure that they belonged together but maybe they had been wrong in just rushing into marriage so early. Maybe they should have learned more about each other while dating instead of as a married couple. Maybe Sidney should have seen where she came from, who she was outside of New York. Most terrifying, maybe he really wasn't ready for a relationship as he had said from the start. Shut up Charlotte. Shut up.

Yep. Nothing like sitting up alone in a tree for a few hours to really solidify a good freak out over her biggest life decision.

They got home from hunting a little later than expected, around 11:00. Jacob had gotten his first deer and so there was celebrating and then they had to load up the deer and hang it out back. Sidney averted his eyes from the window. After everyone was washed up and dressed they all rushed out to visit Mr Heywood’s father at the nursing home and then from there they went to his sister, Aunt Karen’s house for an afternoon of visiting and dinner. The day was less crowded than Thanksgiving but only marginally less hectic. On the way back home Allison and Matt started texting around making plans with friends and before Sidney knew it he was driving to the Moose Lodge, ready for a night on the town. 

He offered right off the bat to be the designated driver. Matt had turned 21 in October so Charlotte and Allison were both excited to drink with their younger brother for the first time. The Moose was a local social club and favorite drinking spot. You had to have a membership but it seemed that everyone in the area did. Sidney was guessing the dues were probably the cost of a pitcher of beer. They walked into the huge room and it was like a mix between a bar and a high school cafeteria. Linoleum flooring, painted cinder block walls. There was a large rectangular, enclosed bar right in front of you as you entered. It took up half of the room, various men in flannel and women with perms sitting around its perimeter. The other half of the room was split into three parts. There was a single pool table at the front. Then there was a seating area as the Moose offered a frankly strange assortment of bar food; hot dogs, pepperoni rolls, pierogies. And then at the very far corner behind the seating section was an empty space which seemed to be used as a makeshift dance floor. The whole room was pretty brightly lit but the fluorescent lights were turned off over the jukebox and dance floor corner. There were framed photographs and mounted deer heads on all four walls.

“This is totally the next up and coming theme for an ironic hipster bar in Williamsburg. They’d go wild for it.” Sidney said quietly to Charlotte. She gave a half hearted laugh, trying not to read into his comment, as she scanned the room to see who was there.

“Oh! Tim’s here!” Allison said, leading them over to his spot at the bar.

“Of course he is.” Sidney muttered, following. 

The Heywood siblings took a shot of Wild Turkey in honor of Thanksgiving together and then Matt broke off to hang out with some of his friends. Charlotte took a seat next to Tim and Sidney took the stool on her other side. She and Allison seemed to know half of the patrons and people were calling across the bar or coming up to talk to the Heywood girls who had moved away. Eventually Allison wandered off with a couple friends and it was just Charlotte, Tim and Sidney.

“Let me get you guys a beer. Hey Frank!” Tim called the bartender.

“Oh no, man, it’s cool. I got it.” Sidney protested.

“It’s no big deal, you guys are the guests anyway.”

“No-” Sidney began.

“Sidney, just let him.” Charlotte said with a shrug.

“Okay, thanks man. I’ll get the next round. Just a Coke for me though.”

“I’m sure you could nurse a beer and be fine to drive.”

“Yeah, but I’m responsible for the safety of my new siblings in law tonight so I’m just going to refrain.”

Frank shuffled over. “Two Iron City’s and a Coke. Thanks man.” Tim turned to Charlotte teasingly. “Look at you, choosing such a responsible husband. He's a real stand up guy, huh?” 

Charlotte turned to Sidney with a mischievous smile on her face. She let her eyes sweep down his body for a second and then raised them to meet his and looked directly at him while answering Tim. “Well, he’s not always so responsible. He can have a bit of a reckless streak.” She dragged the last sentence out seductively.

Good God. How could she make his heart race, leave him completely breathless, so easily? It was the first time things had felt playful or intimate between them since Thanksgiving morning and he wanted more. He leaned over and whispered in her ear, “You are the muse for all of my reckless behavior.” Charlotte blushed and bit her lip. She pulled her beer off the bar and took a drink to hide her widening smile. Tim meanwhile, on the other side of her was very obviously looking away, pretending he was unaware of all of the eye fuckery that was going on between the two of them. 

“Charlotte Heywood!” An old friend came rushing over and Sidney shook himself and smiled politely as Charlotte introduced the two of them and began catching up with yet another old friend. Soon Tim, Charlotte and Becky were in a lively conversation as Sidney pretended to follow, keeping one eye on the football game on the tv in the corner. The night quickly adjusted back to its expected trajectory and Sidney reluctantly regained his regular heart rate. 

A couple hours passed. Britney Spears came loudly onto the jukebox and as if on cue most of the suspendered old men in the bar groaned. Allison, who Sidney suspected made the choice, came running over and grabbed Charlotte’s hand. “Another round of shots and then dancing!” She shouted. Charlotte groaned at yet another shot but quickly agreed. She was so happy to be back out with her sister again. It had been far, far too long.

“Do you want to dance?” She turned back to ask Sidney as Allison tugged on her arm. She wanted him to join the fun, to be part of all of this. He had been so quiet all night, watching football, keeping to himself even when she tried to pull him into discussions. She wanted her Sidney. 

The sparkle in her dark eyes was so outrageously enticing but his mood had dropped and he didn’t feel he could match that energy any more. “Ah, alas I’m too sober and I think I already filled my dancing quota for the year at Babington’s wedding.”

“Your loss.” She answered flirtatiously. You don’t need to tell me.

He watched as Allison and Charlotte charged onto the dance floor and danced like only two sisters can, spinning, laughing at each other's exaggerated moves, while still somehow pulling it off. He let out a long exhale and a slight smile turned up the corners of his lips. Damn, he loved her.

“They’re a really fun pair those two. You should have seen them growing up, getting into all sorts of trouble, wandering out through the woods.” Sidney had forgotten Tim was there, but he was, of course he was. He grunted in response. He knew Charlotte expected them to be friends and maybe he’d put in some sort of effort on a future visit but this time, nah. Nothing doing Tim.

James’ “Laid” came on next and the girls went wild. Tim laughed next to him. “Oh man, this song is too good. I’m gonna get out there too.” He had to give it to Tim, he had great taste in women and music. Sidney knew he should also get up and join them. He should definitely be the one dancing with his wife to a song about loud, outrageous sex. But instead Tim was. Man, Esther would have a fucking field day with this if she was here. Brooding Sidney had at last made his triumphant return. Or maybe he was already veering into morose and needy Sidney. Those were the words Eliza always used. Maybe he had been right to try to stay out of relationships and here, instead, he had run straight into marriage. Shit. Okay, he needed to move. This wasn’t healthy. 

He got up and wandered the perimeter of the space, looking at the old framed photos of the lounge’s history on the walls. Black and white photos of coal miners drinking. New years celebrations over the decades. Some epically 80’s photos of a classic car show they had held in the parking lot. Eventually he walked down the hall behind the dance floor to use the bathroom. When he came out, lo and behold, Charlotte was waiting for him in the hallway. “Hey there.” She said with an impish smile.

Relief rushed over him. “Charlotte, I don’t want to sound needy, but I’ve really missed you these last couple days.” 

“Me too.” She said and then she lunged at him, knocking him against the wall, kissing him hard. 

Oh, so she was drunk. Whatever, drunk Charlotte was better than no Charlotte. He kissed her back and sighed in contentment as her hands slid down his body, under his sweater and up his sides. Feeling her skin on his was like an elixir for the frustration and insecurities of the last two days. He could feel his body relaxing into hers while also building a new type of tension, a new need. He clutched her to him tightly, one hand drifting down to her ass, squeezing it, pulling her firmly against him. 

“Oh for Christ’s sake!” a disgusted older man pushed past them as he made his way to the bathroom. “Get a room!”

“God, I wish.” Sidney muttered and dropped his head back down to resume kissing but Charlotte had pulled back.

“What? You really don’t like staying with my parents, do you?” 

Was she joking? “No, of course I do, but it would be really nice to have a hotel room tonight.”

“Because their house isn’t good enough?” What the actual fuck was she saying? “Is it so hard for you to be here? I don’t know Mr Park Slope, maybe our expectations are too different. I mean Tim said-”

“Tim? Are you really going to quote Tim back to me? I bet he’d have a whole shitload of things to say to you if I wasn’t here.”

“God, it’s like you don’t even know me!” Charlotte scoffed, annoyed and angry.

“What does that even mean? What is going on?! Why are we fighting right now?!” he exclaimed frantically, throwing his hands up. Why weren't they still making out? He paused and looked at her more carefully. “How drunk are you Charlotte?”

“I’m not drunk. Don’t be an asshole.” But even as she said it she realized she was really drunk.

“How many shots did you do with Allison?”

She averted her eyes, looking down the hallway, out at the dancefloor. “I don’t know. We just did another. Maybe three? Four?” 

So probably four or five. That on top of a couple beers. Damnit Allison. “Can I take you home please?” He asked gently, as he placed his hands on her waist. 

She looked up at him, her eyes starting to tear up. “Okay.” She answered quietly. “I’m sorry.” He hugged her and brought her out to the bar. A quick glance at Allison was all he needed to know she was as bad off as Charlotte. He gave her a look and threw his head to the door. Allison pouted but grabbed her purse and Charlotte’s and followed him. He then went to find Matt playing pool. 

“Hey man, we’re heading out. You can come with us now or stay if you have a sober buddy to drive you home.” 

“I think Steve’s pretty sober.” Matt shrugged as he lined up his shot.

“That guy? Nope, definitely not sober. Good Lord. How is everyone here getting home?" He was suddenly very interested in knowing the drunk driving statistics for this county. "How do you guys drink out here without cabs and subways?” He sighed and then said firmly, “Okay, Allison, Matt, rustle up any of your drunk friends that need a ride. Let’s go.” And that’s how Sidney ended up learning he could fit eight adults into his BMW.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man, there's always that downer feeling when the holidays wrap up, huh?
> 
> Thanks for coming to West Virginia to meet the folks with me. As always, I loved hearing from you all and your reactions. Your enthusiasm and encouragement is such a lovely, lovely gift. Thank you.
> 
> Okay, let's see these two crazy kids drive off into the sunset...or divorce court.

After making the Heywood siblings each take Advil and drink a full glass of water Sidney sent them all to bed. Charlotte got sick as soon as she laid down and that was, well not great. He wasn’t sure when she had last drank like that but it definitely wasn’t within her tolerance level. He cleaned her up and stripped the bed, found new linens, made her drink more water and then got her back into bed. He felt like he had married Crowe.

He woke up at 8:00 and hung around the house for a while but by 9:00 she was still dead asleep and he felt on edge from the things she said to him last night. He knew enough from his own experiences that being drunk didn’t mean she wasn’t speaking the truth as she saw it. He decided to go for another run and really pushed himself, taking the hills hard, working through his thoughts. He came back almost two hours later, a sweaty mess but feeling good, feeling ready to check in with Charlotte, to get things straightened out and on track.

“Oh Sidney dear, you just missed Charlotte." Mrs Heywood told him as he returned. "She waited around for awhile for you to come back but just walked over to her grandma’s house. We had some casserole dishes to return and she wanted to fit a short visit in before you guys left tomorrow.”

Yeah, that sounded on par for this weekend. He headed for the shower.

“Grandma, was it really such a terrible idea? Getting married so quickly?” Charlotte asked over their tea at her grandma's ancient formica kitchen table. She had needed to talk to someone. It clearly wasn't going to be her mom and Allison wasn't married. She wouldn't get it. She was too hung over to be much help for anything anyway.

Her grandma chuckled. “That sounds like something you'd have to tell me, not the other way around.”

Charlotte sighed. Her head was still killing her and it felt like the weight of the whole weekend was squeezing around her temples. “I really didn’t think so. I love him so much. So much. But everyone else seems to think so and Mom, Mom just seems so disappointed and I…” She had to stop talking before the tears came. She gulped for breath, holding them back.

Her grandma reached out and rubbed her hand. “Oh honey. You know that grandpa and I went on two dates before he asked me to marry him. Of course we ended up writing letters for two years before he came back home from the war and we were finally able to marry, but I didn’t change my mind. I knew when he asked me and it stuck. Sometimes you don’t need a lot of time to know.”

“That’s what I thought until I came here. And then Mom was going on about marriage being between more than two people. And we are so different in some ways. He doesn’t get this life here, has no experience to relate to it and it makes me feel like...” she trailed off, unable to admit to her grandma that it made her feel a little ashamed of her background when she saw it through his eyes. 

“Charlotte, you’re making too much of your differences. That’s just silly. You have no way of relating to everything he’s been through either. And as for your Mom, she’s a nervous Nellie by nature. You’re her oldest and her first daughter and this just isn’t what she had in mind for you. Her kids are growing up and growing away and it kills her a little. And she doesn’t want to see you make a decision that could end up hurting you over time.”

“Do you think we’ll end up hurting each other? That it will fall apart?” Charlotte asked anxiously, somehow hoping her grandmother could give her a firm answer on the big question that had been haunting her.

“Oh, I don’t know. If you end up divorcing in five years I’ll probably already be dead so it won’t bother me anyhow. For me, it's enough to see you happy now.”

“Grandma! That’s not reassuring in any way, shape or form.”

Her grandma laughed. “Here’s the rub Charlotte, I’m old and what I’ve learned is you never know what’s coming around the corner, never. You just have to do what you think is best and find what makes you happiest. This man makes you very happy and you make him very happy. I can see that much, clear as anything. And that happiness, those are the memories that will brighten your days when you’re an old woman like me, the moments you’ll hold on to forever. Follow those feelings and hold on tight and you'll both be just fine.”

Charlotte squeezed her grandma’s hand, her eyes tearing again. “I wish you could come to New York next weekend. I’d love to have you there.”

“I can’t make that kind of trip anymore, you know that. But you come back in the spring, help me plant my garden again. Jacob did a real shit job of it this past year.” Charlotte laughed. “And you and Sidney will stay with me next time. Newlyweds shouldn’t be sharing a wall with their parents, it’s just not right. I’m half deaf anyway so you can carry on all you want.”

“Grandma!” Charlotte laughed in shock.

Her grandma waved her hand. “I’m telling you, I’ve lived and I’ve held onto the memories I want. Just because I’m old doesn’t mean I don’t remember.”

Charlotte smiled and nodded. “Okay, we’ll see you in May.”

Charlotte finished her visit with her grandma and started walking back towards home. It was lunchtime and she knew by now Sidney would be back and showered. Maybe they could go get lunch together somewhere, just the two of them. After talking to her grandma she felt much better prepared to reconnect with him. But as she headed up through the fields towards the woods that adjoined the two properties she was surprised to see Sidney coming down towards her.

“Hey.” He said smiling but cautious. “I uh...I thought maybe I’d join you ladies. Allison showed me the path. She also told me I wouldn’t get shot because it was so late in the day but made me wear this anyway.” He pointed to the bright orange Carhartt beanie on his head.

Charlotte smiled broadly. “We’re done visiting but I’m really very glad to see you.” She said, taking his hands. “Want to take a walk with me?”

He smiled, “I would like nothing better.”

They walked up to the top of the fields. Charlotte’s grandparents had run a small scale dairy and farm on 50 acres and the family still mowed the fields twice a year to maintain the landscape that they all loved so much. But above the fields, towards the top of the hill, it was all wooded and remained that way all the way back to the Heywood house. There was a strip of land owned by the coal mining company in between but it had never been used and seemed it would sit empty forever. Or so they all hoped. As they entered the woods Charlotte hooked to the right on another trail instead of going straight back home.

“All these trails?” Sidney asked.

“For hunting and dirt bikes mostly. They’ve been the same for as long as I can remember. I know them like the back of my hand.”

“Wow, that’s really something. It’s like having Central Park in your backyard.”

“Well yeah, but it’s better because I don’t have to share it with anyone.”

Sidney stopped walking and looked around, scanning the woods carefully. “But you don’t seem to have a zoo here" he said slowly "so there’s one point in Central Park's favor."

"I'll concede that point." She smiled and they continued walking on quietly.

They reached a large tree with boards nailed into it leading up to a platform. “Come on.” Charlotte said as she started climbing up. Sidney followed and they sat up there, their legs hanging off the edge as they leaned on the railing. The view was amazing. Through the bare trees you could see the dip of the hill below and then beyond that more hills rising and finally a mountain range pushed up against the horizon.

“Woah.” Sidney said softly.

“Yeah, it’s the best. My dad built the platform so it would be big enough for him to take us up here and teach us to hunt. Most of the tree stands are just the regular chairs mounted to trees but this one is more like a fort. I used to come up here and read a lot.”

“I can imagine that. That sounds like you.” Sidney said as he wrapped his arm around her, pulling her closer. They sat, taking in the view for quite awhile, enjoying their togetherness in the solitude. 

Charlotte eventually spoke. “Look, I love my family. All of them. I love Uncle Ed. He says things wrong all the time and he can be obnoxious but he taught me to drive stick and he’s always the first one to plow my grandma’s dirt road when it snows and when my dad had cancer a few years back he made sure to go to all of my siblings sports games and meets so there would be someone there cheering for them. He’s really a good guy.”

Sidney shook his head. “Charlotte, I don’t want you to think I actually dislike him. I think I was more frustrated with myself that I had lost my cool.”

“My family is very important to me. I just don’t want you to think they’re all crazy.” She persisted.

“No, of course I don’t. Don’t forget that the first time you met Arthur he told you about how he spoke telepathically to a cow while he was in India. Family’s family, I get it.”

Charlotte rushed on, unburdening herself. “And I don’t want to feel ashamed of my hometown. I love it here. I wanted to share it with you. And seeing your reaction to everything made me feel like it wasn't enough. It made me feel defensive and guilty for leaving, for maybe thinking that I was better than it too. I’m not better than it, I just wanted something else.”

“Oh God, I’m sorry. It threw me off. You’re right, it was different than what I expected.” They sat silently again for a moment, their legs gently swaying over the platform. 

"And I'm sorry that I wasn't around enough this weekend. I felt like I was being pulled in a hundred directions." Charlotte said softly.

Sidney sighed. “I think I shut down because it all made me feel a bit insecure. And I knew that you missed everyone and they clearly missed you so I didn’t want to get in the way-"

"You're not in the way. You're my husband. I want you to come to me if you need me." She protested gently.

"It felt selfish to take up your time when I have you all to myself in New York. But I felt out of place. And...and a bit of an ache that you have all of this, this massive network of people that all love you so much, and I...don’t.” He swallowed and looked away and Charlotte’s heart broke for him. “My family was never big. Both sides had already scattered across the country and grown apart even when I was a kid. You’re really lucky to have this.”

“It’s yours now too.” Charlotte said quietly, lacing her fingers through his. “It will take awhile to feel natural but I know it will in time. And as for your family, your brother and Mary have done a great job of growing the Parker family again and you and I can pitch in eventually too.” He squeezed her hand tightly. “And maybe by the time our grandkids are around the Parker family will be just as loud and obnoxious as mine.”

Sidney stared off at the mountains and smiled a small grateful smile. “Henry’s totally going to be Uncle Ed.”

Charlotte laughed and brushed away the tears she didn’t realize had been building in her eyes. “Totally. One hundred percent.”

They sat quietly again for a while, listening to the birds, watching the world below, beyond. “We should get back huh? Your family will want to squeeze the most out of the last day of your visit.” Sidney offered.

“Nah, they’ll be fine for awhile. I’d rather be with you.” Charlotte answered softly and climbed onto his lap, straddling him. They hugged each other tightly, relieved to be home in one another’s embrace, feeling the rise and fall of each other's breath. In time Charlotte pulled back and held his face in her hands, gently scratching at his stubble, looking into his eyes. She kissed his lips gently and then again and then a third time more fully, more passionately. Sidney melted into her, his hands stroking her back. He instinctively pulled her hips tighter to him and she sighed softly, starting to rock slightly on him. He slipped his hands under the bottom of her coat, reaching up her smooth sides, his thumbs gently caressing the bottoms of her breasts. Charlotte emitted a small moan and rolled her hips deliberately against him. She pulled herself off of his lap and the cold air hit his chest especially hard in her absence. But instead of stopping she just encouraged him to slide back on the platform, pushing his back against the tree. Charlotte then got on her knees next to him and kissed him again, her hand unzipping his coat and then opening his belt, his fly. 

"I think you're in need of some special attention right now." She whispered. 

After two days of struggling to be at her side, Charlotte’s forwardness had him reeling. Synapses were firing through his body like fireworks, his brain struggling to keep up. He gasped in pleasure as she took him in hand. “Are we really going to do this? Up here, in a tree?”

“Why not?” she shrugged, “It’s more private than my parents’ house. More private than the fucking turnpike.” She gave him a look.

He chuckled. “Damn. You guys really did not oversell the whole ‘wild and wonderful’ thing.” He kissed her then with such desperate need, such adoration. And then she broke away and bent forward to take him in her mouth. “Fuck.” The word exhaled, half breath. He dropped his head against the tree and focused on her tongue, her lips, her mouth, her hands until it was just too much and he needed her, all of her. He reached over and started stroking her ass, tugging at her jeans. Goddamn cold weather wardrobes, fucking layers making things so difficult. “Charlotte, I want you.” His hands caressing her over her jeans. She kept going, pushing him closer to the edge. His eyes rolled up to the sky and he moaned, "Charlotte."

She came up and kissed him and he immediately took the opportunity to grab her waist and undo her own belt and fly, tugging more successfully now at her jeans. She took off her shoes and then shimmied out of her jeans and underwear. Sidney took off his coat and laid it down on the platform. “Here lay on this and I’ll do my best to keep you warm.”

“I believe in you.” She smirked. “But hurry, I’m cold now.”

He quickly took off his shoes and stripped from the waist down. If he wasn’t so mad with desire he probably would have joked about how ridiculous they looked fully clothed on top, just wool socks below. But instead he dove for Charlotte and rubbed her thighs, warming her up in more ways than one. He unbuttoned a couple more buttons on her shirt, opening enough that he could get to her neck, her collarbone, the rise of the top of her breasts. His mouth traveled over her skin gratefully. She panted and squirmed under his body. She clutched his hips and pulled on them, shifting her body underneath him, tipping her own hips up, trying to capture his warm hardness, relief for her own ache. “Sidney.” She begged. He grabbed the back of her knee and pulled her leg up, pushing it back almost against her chest, and then pushed into her. They cried out simultaneously and paused for a moment, savoring their coupling. Charlotte held him tightly against her, only allowing short deep thrusts, as if now that they were finally together again, pulling out further was a distance too far. Sidney's face nuzzled into hers gently and he kissed softly.

"I love you Charlotte. I love you so much."

"I love you too."

Their bodies were so flush against one another, the friction so incredible, their longing so pronounced that it wasn't long that Charlotte let herself go. She gasped his name over and over as she came undone, her leg wrapped tightly around his back. Sidney, in chivalrous respect for her in the cold weather, chased after her, letting go with a deep, loud groan that may or may not have startled some pheasants out of their roost below.

That evening the Heywoods made a bonfire. They brought out marshmallows and bourbon and blankets. A smaller collection of extended family members came over but no one that Charlotte hadn't already seen, hadn't already caught up with. So she felt free to stay firmly in Sidney's lap under their shared blanket. And he shone as she had originally expected he would have, drawing his energy from her. Their banter and connection allowed people to see him for who he was rather than who he wasn't. It was wonderful and comfortable and he felt that she had been right, now that they were over the awkward introductions, this could eventually feel like family to him as well.

They walked Charlotte's favorite cousin, Lauren, back to her car to say goodbye and afterwards lingered out in the front yard. The night was clear and the stars were incredible.

"I always forget how amazing stars are when I'm in New York." Sidney said as he took in the layers and layers of heavenly bodies above. 

"Honestly, I don't always like looking at stars." Charlotte said, wrapping her arms around his waist. "They make me feel so small, so insignificant. I find it a little unnerving."

"Hmm. I kinda like that about them. It makes me feel like I don't need to take myself so seriously, that my problems are only a minuscule blip in the universe."

"We are different." She stated. He smiled in the dark, his face still craned skyward. "But I bet the stars are jealous of us."

"Oh yeah?" He chuckled.

"Yeah. I bet they're looking down right now and saying, 'Wow, get a load of how much that speck of dust loves that other speck of dust. We're totally irrelevant because he's her whole universe.'"

Sidney laughed and tightened his hold on her. "Eat your heart out stars." he said as he tipped her head up to kiss her.

The next morning, right after breakfast Charlotte and Sidney loaded up the car and got ready to head home. Her family all followed them out to see them off. Mrs. Heywood hugged them both last. As she stepped out of their embrace she put her arm on Sidney’s forearm and squeezed it. She looked at him and then at Charlotte. “You know, if this first meeting had happened under more traditional circumstances, I would turn to your father as you pulled out of the driveway and say, ‘She’s going to marry that young man.’ But you already went ahead and did it.” The three of them chuckled. “I just want you to know that I’m happy for both of you. We look forward to seeing you again in five days and really celebrating this marriage.”

“Thank you. I really appreciate that.” Sidney said. Charlotte gave her mom another hug and then they got into the car and headed for home.

“Well, that was a high note to leave on.” Sidney said. “I think I’ve officially won her over.” Charlotte grinned to herself and kept her eyes squarely on the road. “What? That was good, right?”

“Yeah, that was a nice start.”

“Nice start?”

“Yeah, she’s definitely not done with you.” Charlotte said with a laugh.

Sidney groaned, laughing, and dropped back in his seat and swung his arm over his face. “Okay, driver, take me home as fast as possible. I need to prepare for this family onslaught to continue next weekend."


End file.
